Coordinated Access System for Homelessness Response

Ending homelessness requires a change in the way services have traditionally been provided. People experiencing homelessness may need multiple supports from a broad range of organizations and sectors to find and keep housing. To make sure the right supports are provided at the right time, a community-wide coordinated response to homelessness – or a coordinated access system - is being developed for Stratford, Perth County, and St. Marys. This is a standardized and coordinated process for assessing, prioritizing, matching, and referring households experiencing homelessness for housing and other services across all agencies and organizations in the community.

Coordinated Access System Leadership Group (CASLG)

The CASLG oversees the development of a local coordinated access system. Its membership includes organizations that provide services directly to people experiencing homelessness. The following agencies represent the group’s core members:

• Resilience Huron Perth Mental Health Services
• Choices for Change Alcohol, Drug, & Gambling Counselling Centre
• City of Stratford Social Services Department
• Emily Murphy Centre
• Huron Perth Public Health
• Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
• John Howard Society of London & District
• Perth County Ontario Provincial Police
• Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services
• Stratford Perth Shelterlink
• Stratford Police Services
• United Way Perth-Huron

For more information about the CASLG, please contact Social Services 519-271-3773 ext. 200 (1-800-669-2948)

Stratford-Perth-St. Marys By-Name-List (BNL)

A By-Name-List is a key component of a coordinated access system. It is a real-time list of all people experiencing homelessness locally. The BNL is not a chronological wait list for services (e.g. first come, first served) but rather prioritizes households based on their level of acuity or need. The purpose of the BNL is to:

• Know all individuals and families experiencing homelessness by name
• Understand the broader nature and scope of homelessness locally

People are eligible to be added to the BNL if they:

1. Are a resident of Perth County; and
2. Are experiencing homelessness in any of the following ways:
   • Unsheltered: sleeping outdoors, public spaces, makeshift shelters; vehicles; places not intended for human habitation
   • Emergency sheltered: homeless shelters; domestic violence shelters
   • Provisionally accommodated: staying temporarily with friends or family (couch surfing); in institutions (example: jail, hospital); transitional housing

There is no application process for the BNL. Organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness act as access points and can request that people be added to the list by completing and submitting documentation to the City of Stratford Social Services Department which manages the By-Name-List.

Built for Zero Canada

Built for Zero Canada is a national campaign to end homelessness in Canada with a focus on ending chronic homelessness and veteran homelessness first. Built for Zero supports Canadian communities through a structured, supportive, and data-driven approach. Stratford-Perth-St. Marys has been a member of this initiative since 2017 and uses the tools and resources Built for Zero provides to improve our local coordinated homelessness response.

See Stratford-Perth-St. Marys progress on ending chronic homelessness.